Struggling

[Caroline1967]

Sorry to offload like this, but I have no one in the real world who actually understands how hard this all is! After all it is only type 2 so you don’t realise how lucky you are! If I hear that one more time I think I am going to lose it!

I lost lots of weight when I was first diagnosed but in the last 6 months have regained it all - almost 2 stone. I have just had HbA1c as part of another set of blood tests and it remained at 51 like it was in October. I have been told I need a full diabetic review now but to be honest I can’t face getting weighed and being told I have gained the weight….I already know that!

My serum triglycerides are now 3.44
My serum ATL is 50
Both of these are weight related I suspect.
My GP has asked me to ring her about these. I have a telephone appointment on the 14th to discuss what I should do.
I also have a vitamin D severe deficiency at 22 instead of above 50. I have read that this can be linked to being overweight and diabetic. It’s just the gift that keeps on giving!

The reason I had the blood tests in the first place is because I went to the GP with pain in the ulna side of my wrist. X-ray showed I have a break in the radius. I have had no trauma and GP is very concerned that I broke it without being aware! She thinks I may have osteoporosis. Am waiting for a DEXA scan to rule this out. Again have been told there is a link between diabetes and osteoporosis.

And to add insult to injury the ulna pain is probably caused by the ulna being longer than the radius as the break has shortened the radius. As a teenager I had a very rare bone disease diagnosed because my radius was too long. I had the most incredibly painful operation to have it shortened so both bones were the same length and now the ulna is too long! You just couldn’t make it up!! My ‘urgent’ ortho appointment to discuss this is in November.

I know I have to do something drastic about my weight and am looking at the Fast 800 diet. I did try very low cal a few years ago before I was diabetic and felt really lightheaded after a few days. I think I am going to have to power through that and hope it gets better.

I am on gliclazide which I know can be linked to weight gain. Would it be very bad of me to just stop taking it and see what happens? I am only on 40mg daily. I am also on ozempic (the wonder weight loss drug) but I think that is given in a much higher dose to lose weight. I am on 0.5 as when I increased the dose I had such bad side effects that I couldn’t cope.
I have really had enough of all of this now. It comes to something when you need medical advice but really can’t face the lecture about my weight so would rather not have the advice!

 

[ColinUK]

There’s never any need to apologise for venting here. It’s what this forum is largely for and it’s something we all do when we have the need and it is clear that you have that need so vent.

Could you call the DUK helpline this morning and talk everything through with them maybe? They might be able to join up some of the dots and help you make it all make sense.

 

[Docb]

Completely agree with ColinUK @Caroline1967.

Some medics are not very good at adjusting their approach to suit the individual, they seem to go into the one size fits all mentality. I take the pragmatic approach to that and let it flow round me. Sometimes you can get them to adjust and sometimes you cannot.

There is no pint in avoiding your GP and diabetes review. You need all that to get the medications you need and the referrals to sort out your other problems. When it comes to the weight, if your surgery takes a "hard lecture" approach rather than a "how can we help" approach, then you just might have to live with that.

There are lots of different approaches to losing weight but as you have found keeping it off is the tricky bit. Many on here have accomplished that and I am sure some will be along to give ideas. For what it is worth, my summary is that the most successful have gone for changing their way of eating to something they can adopt for the long term. My route (and I did not need to lose anywhere near a couple of stone) was not to change my diet much. Just to eat less overall, in particular eliminating snacks and snacking and reducing carbohydrate in meals. The other trick was to get into the routine of weighing myself. I am now at around 66kg and have been for the last couple of years compared with the 70kg when I started and I find that this helps me keep on track. On the odd occasions when my weight has begun to creep up I have caught it early and made a couple of adjustments to check it.

Anyway, I am sure you will find a way to get back on track.

 

[Leadinglights]

Looking back at some of your previous posts and seeing that you have tried different medications and also a very low carb regime which frankly may well have just been too low to be sustainable. What have you been doing recently that has led to you putting on the weight you previously lost?
I am wondering despite you being overweight that you may not be Type 2 but Type 1 or LADA. Perhaps it is worth mentioning this as a possibility when you speak to your doctor.
There may be some meal ideas in this link which you would find a more sustainable way of eating. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/

 

[Caroline1967]

Looking back at some of your previous posts and seeing that you have tried different medications and also a very low carb regime which frankly may well have just been too low to be sustainable. What have you been doing recently that has led to you putting on the weight you previously lost?
I am wondering despite you being overweight that you may not be Type 2 but Type 1 or LADA. Perhaps it is worth mentioning this as a possibility when you speak to your doctor.
There may be some meal ideas in this link which you would find a more sustainable way of eating. https://lowcarbfreshwell.co.uk/

I think you are right about the very low carb not being sustainable. I am now having about 100-150 a day. Other than that I don’t think my diet has changed, definitely not to have caused the weight gain. I have spoken to my GP about possibility of type 1 but they are adamant it is type 2. My hba1c is too good for type 1. I am going to try the fast 800 for a couple of weeks and see how I get on. Thanks for the website link, I will have a look at that too.

 

[DaveB]

Hi. I would re-start a lowish'carb diet say less then 150gm/day but not way down. It should not in any way make you feel ill or lightheaded. I would go Low-carb rather than Low-cal as weight gain is mostly about too many carbs. Gliclazide cannot cause weight gain itself. It promotes higher levels of insulin and it's the insulin which will be metabolising the carbs and any excess being stored as fat. BTW why did you stop the Metformin?

 

[Caroline1967]

Thanks for the reply Dave. I stopped the metformin because I was having terrible side effects even after changing to slow release and my levels were still reaching 16 most mornings after no food for 12 hours. It is interesting what you say about the gliclazide not causing weigh gain on its own. I am sure I will get things sorted out eventually!